


There's Four And Twenty Million Doors.

by The_Lady_smaell



Category: Assorted Fandoms, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Author is sleep deprieved, Author regrets nothing, Depictions of War., Fandom Crossovers, Fate is a bitch, Finding comfort, Fluff, Getting Together, Hopeless situations, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self sacrifice., Some Character death., Tony and Bruce are Bro's in every universe, alternative universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 09:12:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2423261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lady_smaell/pseuds/The_Lady_smaell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i> 'There's four and twenty million doors; on life's endless corridors...' The Masterplan by Oasis. </i><br/> </p><p>A series of AU's and Crossovers centering around Bruce and Tony and their varying relationships.</p><p>Chapter 2: Good Luck Everyone.</p><p>
  <i> They stood on the brink waiting for the sun to rise, waiting for that moment when they would take that step over the top. </i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is My Story (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Uh... This is kinda random... I have got to stop writing fics sleep deprived. Strangely enough this wasn't the first idea I had for this, that is being saved for next month... You'll get why when I write it.
> 
> Anywho... If you didn't know I'm a huge Final Fantasy nerd and Ten holds a special place in my heart as it's one me and my BF completed together after first moving in together. You don't need to have any knowledge of it to read this really but I've put some notes at the end to fill in gaps.
> 
> Also who doesn't love a tragic love story. 
> 
> So enjoy...
> 
> Chapter Notes:
> 
> Spira- The world in which this crossover is set.
> 
> Bevelle- The Capital of Spira.
> 
> Summoner- A person with the ability to summon Aeons and go a pilgrimage around the world to obtain the power to defeat Sin (A huge sea monster that terrorizes the whole world.)
> 
> Guardian- A person who protects and helps a Summoner on their pilgrimage.
> 
> Al Bhed- A race of people on Spira they are known for their use of technology (machina) which is outlawed by Yevon. 
> 
> Yevon- The main religion on Spira follows the teachings of Yu Yevon. Teaches that if the people repent hard enough then Spira will be saved. And that machina is what caused Sin to appear.

This is my Story. (Part 1)

They sat in silence around the camp fire.

It was a solemn kind of silence where no one had to say anything; it had all already been said. All that was left now was to let this play out to the end to bring some peace of mind to Spira.

To bring The Calm.

Tony sighed and shifted on the rock he was sitting on; he'd never liked the silence. It had always unnerved him, given his brain too much time to think, to analyse things, to focus on the dark thoughts at the back of his mind. Things hadn't been quite as bad since he'd been through that first cloister and obtained the power of the Aeons from the fayth. They were a constant voice in the back of his mind reassuring and warm in a way he hadn't felt since his mother all those many years ago in Bevelle; before both she and his father had left on their pilgrimage never to return home but cherished as heroes of Spira in light of their sacrifice in their battle against Sin.

He would have rather had his parents back than be the 'honoured son of High Summoner Stark and his Lady' as selfish as that was. He learned to be a lot less selfish as the years passed and Sin's death toll rose.

He scrubbed a hand through his lengthening hair; it was getting pretty unruly after long months of travel. Tony remembered a time when he'd been so vain about his looks back in his hay-day but the days of bumming about in the capital were long gone. He'd been so sheltered in the grand capital Bevelle that he'd had no idea the suffering in the outlying provinces at the hands or rather fins of Sin. That was until that visit to Kilika when he got caught in a Sinspawn attack and his whole world had changed.

There was a faint rustle through his mind as he remembered the attack as his Aeons attempted to offer their comfort (probably Valefor; she was always such a mother hen) as the pain filled memories washed over him and he absent mindedly placed his hand over his heart and the machina device keeping him from becoming another victim of Sin's toxin.

"Lord Anthony? Tony... Are you alright?"

A warm, broad hand gently placed itself on his shoulder and Tony jerked from his thoughts to stare into the deep, dark eyes of Bruce, his face creased with worry and concern.

"I'm fine." He blurted out far quicker than he intended to.

The other man raised an eyebrow clearly not believing a word he said; Tony couldn't stop the sigh of annoyance.

"I'm fine, really... Just thinking... And remembering."

Bruce's eyes flicked downwards to the faint glow beneath the heavy robes that Tony wore, to the machina that was literally keeping him alive and he knew that Bruce knew exactly where his mind had gone.

The grip on his shoulder tightened for a second and then relaxed, slipping away to Bruce's side but he didn't move from beside the Summoner, not that Tony had expected him to. Bruce had been the first to offer his services as a Guardian when the rest of Yevon had scoffed at him, he'd been with him from the beginning never asking for anything except the easy companionship they'd shared while Tony researched Machina devices and Bruce had been there to offer his own brand of genius. The quiet man had been amazed at what Tony had created and they'd talked for long hours into the night for months on end slowly growing ever closer until Tony wasn't sure what he'd do without the other man around. But of course all good things must come to an end as Tony discovered that he was dying; the device in his chest slowly poisoning him as it worked to keep him alive and boy wasn't that a beautiful irony right there.

So Tony had decided to go on his pilgrimage and Bruce had just agreed to go with him without complaint or question, somehow understanding that Tony needed to do this. They'd soon been followed by Clint and Natasha as they left Bevelle; one group of outcasts meeting another, Thor came next at the Thunder Plains and finally Steve on the frozen plains of Lake Macalania. But Bruce had been the first, the black sheep of the Al Bhed who had turned to Yevon after the loss of his beloved and Tony's most loyal companion.

His most precious person if he was being honest with himself.

Not that he'd ever let anyone else know that.

The six of them had formed an unlikely group and even more unlikely friendships even though but they had triumphed over every trial that had been thrown before them thus far and Tony was determined to keep up that winning streak.

"It's a lot to comprehend." Bruce muttered.

Tony wasn't sure whether he meant the thoughts circling his head, the sheer splendour of Zanarkand the city of the dead or the entire situation they were in; an argument could be made for all three but he assumed that it was the latter.

"Yeah..." He murmured in response sidling closer to the other man.

Bruce's eyes widened slightly then softened in understanding as he sat beside the other man, side pressed against Tony's warm and solid and _real_ , a grounding presence against the world threatening to swallow him whole.

"I have to do this..." Tony said. "I _have_ to; I can't just let the world carry on as it is... If I can make a difference, if only for a little while then any sacrifice is worth it."

The look on Bruce's face clearly stated that he didn't quite agree with that sentiment for whatever reason but he didn't voice his opinion. Instead he slid his hand across Tony's covering it completely and squeezed gently trying to reassure him the best he could. Tony smiled softly, feeling the warmth of the other man's hand bleed through his skin sending a content feeling through him. Part of him didn't want this moment to end; wanted to stay there forever with Bruce and the others at his side but that was a fickle reality one that wasn't destined to pass.

Bruce raised his head and met his gaze; eyes gleaming in the dancing firelight and in that moment Tony just found himself unable to stop himself, he leaned forward and placed a gentle, chaste on his lips. There was a brief second where everything just felt so right and then his brain switched back on he realised what he'd actually done.

Oh _shit_.

"I... Oh shit Bruce I shouldn't have..."

"Tony..."

"Why did I do that, I'm such an idiot..."

"Tony...

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

"Tony!"

The Summoner stopped his ranting and looked the other man straight in the eye feeling nervous for the first time in his presence. How was Bruce being so calm about all of this when he was practically a gibbering mess.

"Breathe Tony, you need to breathe."

Breathe? Wasn't he breathing? He sucked in a lung full of air and instantly felt better for it, some of the tension in his body beginning to bleed away. Finally after a few minutes of deep breathes Tony found his voice again.

"Why... How aren't you freaking out over this?"

There was a beat of silence as Bruce contemplated his answer before he smiled softly.

"It's kind of hard to freak out over something I myself was thinking about doing."

Tony just gaped for a second before a slow heady smile spread across his face. He looked down at their joined hands the contact seeming so much more intimate than the comforting touch it had been previously.

"Sooo you wanted to do that?"

The Guardian nodded shyly a blush staining his cheeks.

"Yeah... Since the night before we left Bevelle."

Tony remembered that night fondly, the pair of them had sat up until the dawn on the topmost terrace discussing everything and nothing; trying not to think about the huge undertaking they were both about to take and the consequences of it. He'd been pretty sure even then that he had feelings toward the other man but he'd been to afraid of pushing Bruce away at a time when he needed him the most. The man was surprisingly flighty when he chose to be and Tony hadn't wanted to take the risk.

But now looking back...

So much wasted time.

Well he wasn't planning on wasting anymore.

"Stay with me tonight?"

There was a moment when Bruce looked a little startled by the offer but he nodded slowly and stood to head to the hastily errected tent on the far side of the campsite. Tony stood and quickly followed Bruce, anticipation thrumming through his veins at the thought of the night ahead.

Because if tonight was all they were going to have then he intended to make the most of it.


	2. Good Luck Everyone.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They stood on the brink waiting for the sun to rise, waiting for that moment when they would take that step over the top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Okay so this was the one that was the initial inspiration for this whole series of ficlets and you'll now sort of understand why I left it for this date. If you haven't watched or at least _heard_ of this series I would highly recommend it. It is a fantastic piece of comedy writing and even though it is a comedy show I still cry every time at the last scene of this episode… Just watch it and you'll see, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Good Luck Everyone.

Fandom/Inspiration: 'Goodbyeeee!'- Blackadder Goes Forth. Title comes from the name of the last scene of the episode

_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_

It was raining.

In the distance the sound of gunfire echoed overhead a dull monotonous mass of noise that smothered everything in its path. Those who had been down in the trenches long enough had quickly learned to drown out the racket, it was too easy to become distracted and end up with a bullet between the eyes. Bruce tried not to think about that, there was already too much death around them and it didn't do to dwell on things you couldn't control.

He managed to huff a small laugh at that thought, since when had this; any of this been in his control?

Nervous, shaking fingers brought the cigarette up to his lips; he knew it was a filthy habit and a terrible vice especially in the middle of a battlefield when the tiny pinprick of light could give you away to a sniper but he'd be fucking damned if he wasn't going to enjoy something before...

He took a drag of the cigarette and huddled himself smaller trying to fight off the chill as much as he could. He hated this, hated the waiting with a venom that surprised him he would have honestly thought he'd been trying to prolong his time but then he'd never exactly been a normal person to begin with. Cautiously his eyes flick to the man stood beside him, Tony looks almost as tired as he does the dark circles under his eyes giving him away instantly but there is something about him that is still so alive despite the stench of death and mounds of corpses around then.

As if sensing his gaze Tony's eyes turned to meet his own and an exhausted smile crosses his lips. He's far from the brash cock-sure man he was when he first arrived and Bruce still remembers that introduction well even though it feels like an entire lifetime ago now.

_He was stood in the quietest corner of the ballroom he could find, he hadn't wanted to come to this God forsaken meet and greet or whatever this bullshittery was supposed to be but the General had insisted and when General Ross insisted you did as you were fucking told lest you end up the next victim of a firing squad._

_Supposedly the son of some corporate big-wig had been drafted in and the higher ups were using it as a golden opportunity to generate some positive propaganda for the folks back home. The whole idea made Bruce sick to his very core but he swallowed it with what remained of his pride._

_"Is this seat taken?" An unfamiliar voice asked from his side._

_Bruce turned his head and immediately came eye to eye with a man who couldn't be much younger than himself, face eager and ripe with a shit eating grin. The arrogance in the man's posture is obvious and it makes Bruce's insides squirm in an unpleasant manner._

_"No." He replies, almost sullenly._

_"Well aren't you just a fucking ray of sunshine?"_

_He couldn't really muster up a good response to that, his slightly dour outlook tended to turn people off before they got to know him. Bruce wasn't entirely sure this was a bad thing._

_"Not much of a talker are you?" The man continued, taking a seat next to him._

_Bruce shrugged in response trying to curl in on himself and away from the man, whose presence beside him blazed like a sun, it was almost blinding to a wallflower like him. The other man didn't seem particularly happy about his attempt to shy away though and frowned._

_"I don't bite... well much and not of course unless you want me too."_

_The phrase caught Bruce off guard and before he knew it he was laughing out loud in the mans face, he just couldn't help himself even if he'd wanted too. The man sat beside him just grinned and held out a hand to him. Bruce reluctantly shook it._

_"Tony Stark."_

_Bruce eyes bugged out slightly, what the fuck was Tony Stark, son of the renowned weapons manufacturer doing talking to him?_

_"Bruce, Bruce Banner." He answered somewhat tentatively._

_There was a glint of mischief in Tony's eyes. "Oh I'm well aware of who you are Doctor ... or should that be Captain Banner, your work on harnessing nuclear fusion is unparalleled. I'm also a big fan of the way you bitch-slapped a superior because they attempted to assault a female ally."_

_Bruce couldn't do anything but blush and gape._

"Everything okay Big Guy?" Tony asks drawing him from his memories, his voice tinged with concern.

Bruce shakes his head because there is literally nothing okay right now, he's terrified of what lies ahead and even more terrified of what he's leaving behind.

Of who he's leaving behind.

After that night at that fucking ridiculous party he and Tony had become fast friends, the millionaire's son somehow managing to wangle his way into Bruce's battalion. He couldn't have been happier about _that_ particuar development. Ever since the incident with General Ross and their Russian informant most people had given him a wide berth, worried that he was a ticking time bomb about to explode at any moment (thanks to Ross's smear campaign). And while Bruce would openly admit he had some anger issues they were no where near to the extent Ross had painted them. Regardless Tony actively didn't give a shit about Bruce's issues in fact he openly provoked them, constantly trying to rile up the other man in a playful teasing manner. Bruce responded like he did to most things when it came to Tony; bemused exasperation and was secretly grateful for the positive attention.

It hadn't taken much of a push for things to progress beyond friendship, especially when the next moment could be your last. Living on that knife edge could be a strong incentive.

It had been a night much like tonight.

_The rain was coming down in sheets and thunder rolling across the French countryside. It accurately described the mood in the small bunk room, the misery seemingly seeping through the damp wood. Tony had been sitting on his bunk head in hands and Bruce hadn't known what to do or say, there wasn't really anything to say. On the floor there was a crumpled piece of paper; a telegram with two sentences written on it._

_**Howard and Maria Stark dead.** _

_**Death due to automobile accident.** _

_Bruce knew that Tony's relationship with his parents was strained but that didn't mean that the man didn't care deeply for them._

_"Tony?"_

_The other man looked up, eyes red rimmed and face pale and Bruce didn't know exactly what came over him but he had stepped over and wrapped his arms around Tony. Tony had just crumbled in his arms, his whole body shaking as he tried to hold in the torrent of emotion. Bruce had just clung to him, held him together on the outside while inside he fell apart inside. The minutes ticked by and both of them remained unmoved, finally Tony seemed to regain his senses and began to draw away. Bruce felt the loss immediately and it made something in his chest twist painfully._

_"Sorry you had to see that." Tony muttered under his breath._

_"Tony..."_

_He sounded so lost it broke Bruce's heart and for the second time in as many minutes he had just reacted except this time it was a brief, chaste kiss. Tony froze for a second but then hastily responded, deepening the kiss and running gentle fingers across Bruce's jaw. They broke apart minutes later and Tony looked away, shy for the first time that Bruce had ever seen. He seemed to hesitate for a second but then dredged up one of his media smiles and it made the other man feel sick to his stomach._

_"Tony... No, don't fake it just because you think it's what I want to see. It's okay to feel sad, to feel grief, especially now."_

_For the briefest moment Bruce thought that Tony wasn't going to drop his defences but then his shoulders slumped and he turned pleading eyes up at his friend._

_"Stay with me?"_

_Bruce couldn't stop the smile emerging on his lips. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else."_

_This time when Tony smiled it was genuine._

There had been many more nights after that; filled with unflinching honesty and the deep need to have someone, anyone that understood you. To be able to lose yourself in physicality for those few precious moments before reality crashed in and they were plunged back into the hellhole that was the trenches. Those fleeting moments were memories Bruce held close to his heart.

Beside him Tony slipped his hand into Bruce's twining their fingers under the long sleeves of their coats and offered him a weak smile. Overhead the sounds of gunfire were beginning to die down.

"Listen! Our guns have stopped."

Justin Hammer, another Captain who had apparently made someone's shit list that week and had been transferred in for this push at the last minute. He had a bit of history with Tony and the hatred between the two men was palpable but in situations like this such petty (or not so petty if Tony was to be believed) squabbles paled in comparison.

"You don't think..." Bruce gasped quietly then shook his head, they couldn't be that lucky.

"Maybe the war is over, maybe it's peace." He heard Steve Rogers, a tiny wisp of a man breathe beside him.

"Thank God! We lived through it! The Great War 1914-1917." Hammer's voice had taken on a shrill note of relief.

Tony's eyes met Bruce's and they both knew in that moment that that wasn't the case. Both men pulled out their revolvers and began loading the chambers with bullets.

"I'm afraid not." Tony said more serious than Bruce had ever heard him, his eyes flinty "The guns have stopped because we are about to attack. Not even our General's are mad enough to shell their own men. They think it's far more sporting to let the Germans do it."

Across the trench Hammer looked like he was about to cry and Bruce honestly couldn't blame him.

"So we are, in fact going over." Steve's voice was resolute and steely "This is, as they say it."

The call of 'Company forward' echoed across the silent trenches.

"I'm afraid so." Bruce tried to sound apologetic even as he took a step forward.

Beside him Tony also took a step forward placing one foot on one of the wooden slats leading upwards, leaning in toward his friend.

"I wish we could have had more time." Tony whispered into Bruce's ear.

"I know..." Bruce murmured in reply "But there is nothing we could do."

The next order of 'Stand ready' filtered along the ranks.

"I don't know" Tony said mock thoughtfully "We could have pretended we we're mad or something."

The other man stifled the snort of laughter and punched Tony in the shoulder, even now when they were about to go to their deaths he still managed to make Bruce laugh.

"Probably wouldn't have worked..." Bruce replied "I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here?"

Tony's lips quirked upward in agreement, the smirk saying a thousand words that just talking couldn't as the tinny sound of a dozen whistles pierced the air. With an air of solemnity Bruce withdrew his own whistle and stared at the small piece of metal resting in his hand before raising it to his lips.

"Good luck everyone. " He said before blowing hard on the whistle.

Tony grabbed his hand one last time, squeezing gently before letting go. Then the two of them moved as one and took that first step over the top.

The world became a blur of silence and red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So okay, that was a little more morbid than I intended. Hope you guys enjoyed or at least didn't hate.

**Author's Note:**

> Meh... 
> 
> I think there is another part to this but I'm happy to leave it there for now.


End file.
